Musical instrument



J. N. VASEY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 8, 1926 Dec. 2, 1930.

{M wax Patented Dec. '2, 1930 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH 1v. VASEY, or imo'oxrrnnn, ILLINOIS MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Application filed October 8, 1926. Serial No. 140,253.

- of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on of Figure 2;

Figure 4: is a sectional view on plane H of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the hammer head supporting plate; and

Figure 6 is a top view of the late. 7 The supporting frame work for the key and associated parts comprises the side walls r 1 and 2, the front wall 3, the key abutment shelf 4;, the rear or key hinging wall 5, and the damper structure supporting bar 6. The parts 3, l, 5 and 6 extend bet-ween and are secured at their ends to the side walls 1 and 2. I have shown only one key, namely, a white key K, it being understood that black keys are also used and that a hammer structure and damper structure are associated with each'ke n The body of each key is in the form of a length of wood of rectangular cross section and is faced on top by a finger engaging strip 8 which may be of celluloid or any otherv suitable material. At its rear end each key has a vertical slot 9 extending therethrough for receiving the front end of a hinge bar or plate 10, the bar being secured to the key by means of pins 11 or by gluing. In the rear wall 5 of the supporting structure are formed the vertical slots 12 which are spaced in accordance with the spacing of the hinge plates of the key. In the rear face of the wall 5 'isqa longitudinally extending groove 13 of a depth to receive the plane 33 50 hinge wire or pin 14 which extends full length of the wall 5 and passes thru the hinge holes 15 thru the hinge plates 10 of the keys. To assemble the structure the key hingeplates are inserted in their respective slots 12 in the wall 5 and then the hinge pin is inserted at one end of the wall 5 and slipped successively thru the hinge holes 15 of the hinge plates. The plate 16 which has the slots 17 for registering with the slots 12, is then secured against the rear face of the wall 5 and across the open side of the groove 13 to lock the hinge wire in the groove. All the keys are thus hinged on a single pin, and by the engagement of their hinge plates in theslots 12, 17, the keys I are accurately hinged and guided intheir vertical movement. The wall 5 is secured against the rear edges of the side walls 1 and 2 by means of screws 18 and upon withdrawal of the screws the wall 5 with the entire bank of keys thereon can be removed from the supporting structure. The hinge plates 10 are preferably of non-metallic material such as fiber. This will lighten the structure and will also make the key structure more flexible for adjustment or alignment.

Extending along the front and rear edges of the abutment bar 4 are the strips 19 and 20 of felt or other cushioning material, these strips being struck by the keys when being pressed and serving to limit the downward movement of the keys and to cushion the impact. Guide pins 21 extend upwardly from the abutment bar and engage in guide channels 22 formed in the keys. The 'upward movement of the keys is limited by an abutment board 23 extending above the keys between the side walls 1 and 2 and'having' the strip 2 1 of felt or other cushioning material.

Under each key there is a string striking hammer structure comprising a hammer head 25 and a supporting arm 26. A supporting bracket or block 27 is provided for eachhammer structure, these brackets being secured against the under side of the abutment bar 4 by screws 28. Each bracket has a longitudinal slot 29 in its inner end in which seats the outer end of the'hammer arm 26 to be held in place by a pivot pin 30. Against the bottom of each bracket member 27 a spring 81 is held by the screw 28 and an adjustment screw 32. The inner end 31 engages the abutment projection 33 on the hammer arm 26, the spring serving to return the hammer to normal position after a depression thereof. Depression of the hammer structure is caused by the stud at extending downwardly from the key to co-operate with the abut ment projection or ridge 35 on the upper side of the hammer arm 26. The studs maybe inthe form of wood blocks carried onscrews 36 which thread into the keys, so that the studs may be adjusted. At its lower-end each stud carries a cushioning pad 37. The studs are given a suflicient diameter so that they can be readily turned and adjusted without the need of screw drivers or other tools.

The key supporting structure is mounted over the strings 38 and when a key is depressed its stud will engage the ridge 35 on the handle of the respective hammer and the hammer will be swung downwardly to carry its head against the corresponding string, each head being shod with felt 39 orother spring impact material in a manner well known in the art. When akey is struck the hammer is suddenly swung or thrown down- Wardly to strike the string and it immediately rebounds and carried by its spring 81 back to its normalposition, its upward movement being limited and. cushioned by a felt pad 40 inserted in. the detent 41 in the bottom of the key in the path of the upper end of the hammer head 25.

As best shown in Figures 5 and 6, the ban mer arm 26 is preferably of non-magnetic material such asiiber board. The arms can thus be readilystamped integral from the board and will be considerably li hter than metal arms. Furthermore the fiber gives. greater flexibility and permits accurate adjustment and alignment. At its inner end the arm extends into a slot in the hammer head and is securely held by means of a pin 42, or by gluing. A bracket extension 43 may be formed on the arm to abut against the hammer head and maintain its proper alignment.

The abutment ridge 35 and the hammer arm may serve also to engage with the abutment rail it on the abutment wall lto limit the upward swing of the hammer when the keys are raised or re removed from the instrument. During operation of the instrument the abutment pads 40 on the keys will stop the hammer and. the hammer arms will then not engage with the abutment rail a..

The bar 6 below the key tensioning bar 5 supports the damper mechanism. Each damper mechanism comprises a damper block 4-5 secured to the rear end of a spring 46 which secured at its front end to the under side ot'the bar 6 by a screw 47. Each spring is below the rear end of the respective key hinge plate 10, and extending between the rear end of the hinge plate and the damper block is a link 48 for communicating vertical swing of the key to the damper block. As shown this link may be in the form of a length of wire hooked at its upper end through the hole d9 in the hinge plate and hooked at its lower end. through an eye screw 50 which threads into the damper block. Depending from each damper block is a damper stud 51 having at its lower end the pad 52 for engaging the respective string 88, the stud being adjustable vertically by means of its screw end53 threaded into the damper block. The stud can be readily turned by the fingers 'to be adjusted and tightened as necessary. With the above arrangement when a-key is struck theres mctive hammer is started on its downward movement to strike the respective string,'bu t before it can do so the damper block and stud will have been raisedby the link connection with the key and the damper pad 52 will have been re moved from the string so that the string will bei ree to be sounded by the hammer. lVhen the keys are in their normal position their respective dampers will be in damping engagement with the respective strings.

My improvedv structure and arrangement greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of manufacture. The parts can be quickly, easily and accurately assembled and adjusted for efficient operation;

I claim as follows r 1. In a stringed musical instrument oi the class described, the combination of a row of keys, a hinge plate for each key extending rearwardly therefrom in a plane disposed at right angles to the plane of said row of keys, a supporting bar having a row of slots one for each, of said hinge plates in which slots said plates are disposed, said bar having a longitudinal groove, a hinge pin extending through said hinge plates and seated in said groove, and means for securing said hinge pin in said groove, said hinge plates and hinge pin hinging said keys to said bar and said slotsgulding the movement ol -said keys.

2. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, thecombination of a key, a string striking hammer structure below said key comprising a striking head and a supporting arm secured at one endto the head, a support independent of the key to which the other end oi said arm is hinged, said arm being in the form of a. nonmetallic flexible plate arranged in a plane disposed at right angles to the face of the key, and an abutment stud on said key for engaging said plate near its hinged end when the key is depressed.

3. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, the combination of a key hinged intermediate its ends, a string below said key, string striking hammer mechanism between the key and string, a damper struceach hammer attached to the corresponding per structure, means for anchoring the other end of said spring, and a link secured to said damper structure and to the rear end of said key, said damper structure normally engaging said string and being lifted from said string by means of said link when said key is depressed. I

4. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, the. combination of a key hinged intermediate its ends, a string below the key, string striking hammer mechanism between the key and the string, a leaf spring extending rearwardly below the rear end of the key, means for anchoring said spring below the hinge point of said key, a damper structure supported at the outer end of said spring and normally engaging said string, and a link secured to said damper structure and to the rear end of the key for causing lifting of the damper structure from the string when the key is depressed.

5. In a stringed instrument of the class described, the combination of a row of keys, each key having a hinge plate extending rearwardly therefrom in a plane disposed at right angles to the plane of the keys, a supporting bar having a plurality of slots one for each key for receiving said hinge plates, said hinge plates having hinge holes, said supporting bar having a groove extending longitudinally I along one face thereof, a hinge pin extending through the holes ofthe hinge plates and seating in said groove, and a plate secured against said supporting bar and having slots in register with the slotsin said bar, said plate locking said hinge pin in said groove and assisting said bar in guiding the vertical movement of said keys. 7

6. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, a row of keys, a support having' a number of slots corresponding to the number of keys in said row, a hinge member attached to each of said keys and projecting through the corresponding slot-in said support, means carried by the support for hinging said keys thereto, a stop plate dise posed in juxtaposition to the free end of said keys, a number of pins projecting out of said stop plate, said number corresponding tothe number of keys, said keys having slots registering with said pins into which the pins project to cooperate with said slotted support in guiding said keys during movement thereof.

7. In a stringed musical instrument of the class described, the combination of a row of keys, a support having a slot for each key in which slot the key is held by a hinge support, a stop rail against which said keys rest 7 in their normal position, a second stop rail against which the keys rest when operated, a hammer mechanism for each key pivoted to said second stop rail, and a back stop for ture, a spring secured at one end to the damkey.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of October,

JOSEPH N. VASEY. 

